Last Saturday, we attended a send off party for one of our youth leaders who was moving out of Calgary to pursue her university degree. We’ve known this youth for a couple of years now and seen her grow; she has been a good sister to my kids and the rest of the youth. It was a moment of mixed feelings for me, as much I will miss her a lot, I was happy that she was going to pursue her dreams.
It made me reflect on how many youths have been a part of our lives as Couple Coordinators; we treated them like our own kids. We laughed with them, we cried with them, and we corrected them with the same love, sometimes tough love, that we show our own kids. The faces of those youth are still in my heart and mind, some of them I don’t see anymore and I wonder what has happened to them.
On the other hand, quite of a number I still see and are very visible in the community. The most affirming sight is seeing them now serve with us, as members of Couples for Christ and some are even serving as Couple Coordinators for CFC-Youth.
The bottom line is, we can only plant the seeds in them and hope that these seeds are cultivated and their faith continues to grow as they build their lives and their future families. My most dreaded moment is when I have to send off my own kids to build their own lives and their families; I know that day will come. I can only hope and pray that they one day appreciate why we “forced” them to go to mass on Sundays (and even First Fridays and some Saturday mornings), why we “forced” them to pray the rosary as a family, and why try as much as possible to have dinner together and do things together.
What a blessing it is to be called by the Lord to help in building the future families in Christ, I know one day, these families will truly be “Families in the Holy Spirit Renewing the Face of the Earth”. I know that I may not be alive to see that day (although I hope and pray I do), but getting a glimpse of it now is a beautiful sight to see.
AMDG.